HSV Test Results HELP!

[chocolate289]

Hello Doctor
I decided to get a std check up on 11/3 while undergoing my annual ob/gyn visit. Well to my surprise  my HSV2 came back positive!!! i havent had any outbreaks.  I do remember a cold sore on my lip back in college.
they used Labcorp the results were
hsv1/hsv11 igg- type specific -16.5 high
hsv 2 igg type specfic-3.11 high

I was devastated and ask them to retest me on 11/13 test results were:
hsv1/2 igg rflx type specific -18.9-high
hsv1 igg-<0.91-negative
hsv2 igg type specific-2.90-high
hsv2- immunoblot-positive

Did I retest too soon?  Could the results be a false positive ??   Should I wait and test again in 12 weeks  maybe with the inhibition test  by quest, biokit,or western blot??  I hear the immunoblot is not a confirmatory test for the  HerpresSelect test.  Please help :(

[Edward W Hook, MD]

You do not need to wait to get this done.  What we are doing is not trying to see what evolves in terms of your antibody results but to sort out the results you have,  EWH

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your results indicate that you do have antibodies for HSV-1 and it is possible that you also have HSV-2 as well. There is a chance that your test is a false positive but with a test result over 3 (twice) and a positive immunoblot there are antibodies present that do react in the test.  The immunoblot test however uses the same antigens as the HerpeSelect ELISA and thus that it is positive adds little in the way of knowledge.

My advice is to confirm your diagnosis with a BioKit. if it is negative, your result is most likely a false positive result.  Alternatively and for a bit more money, you could ask your doctor to have a blood specimen sent to the University of Washington for a HSV Western Blot.

Finally, what if you have HSV?  We can discuss this further but let me state even before we have finished sorting this out that having herpes is not the end of the world.  Far from it.  About 1 in 4 American adults has HSV-2 and most of them do not know it.  In fact, 1 in 12 persons who have only had sex with a single person in their life have the infection.  If you have it, you are blessed with the knowledge which allows you to learn more about it, to treat it if need be and to help prevent infecting in sex partners.  All of those are good things.  Let's wait to "cross this bridge" until we really know whether you have the infection or not.  Until then, I would not change anything you do,

Hope this helps.  Things will be fine no matter what further testing shows. EWH

[chocolate289]

thanks so much for your kind words and advice.  I will get the biokit I was wondering do i need to wait or can I retest now????